Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 2 Model Answer
Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 19 · 2026-08-27
IELTS Writing Task 2 question
The working week should be shorter and workers should have a longer weekend.
Do you agree or disagree?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Student answer (Band 5.5)
The working week should be shorter and workers should have longer weekends. I strongly agree with this opinion because a shorter working week can improve employees mental health and increase their productivity.
Firstly, having a longer weekend gives workers more time to rest and spend time with their families. Many employees faces stress due to long working and limited free time. Without any holiday or leave. If they are having an leave they would easily relax and enjoy their hobbies and come to their work feeling relaxed and calm. Secondly, a shorter work week may make a company more productive, For instance, a company changes from a five day week to four day a week can find that employees complete their task more efficiently because they are less tired and distracted.
However, some business may worry that reducing working days could effect their profit customer service. this problem can be managed by improving work schedules and focus on productivity rather than simply increasing working hours.
In conclusion, i strongly agree that the working week should be shorter and the weekends should be longer. It can help workers maintaining a better work life balance while also improving their motivation and productivity.
AI examiner evaluation
| Criterion | Band |
|---|---|
| Task Achievement / Task Response | 5.0 |
| Coherence and Cohesion | 6.0 |
| Lexical Resource | 5.5 |
| Grammatical Range and Accuracy | 5.5 |
| Overall | 5.5 |
Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.0
The response addresses the prompt by taking a clear position and providing relevant arguments regarding mental health and productivity. However, the essay is significantly under the 250-word minimum requirement, which severely limits the depth of the arguments. While the ideas are relevant, they are not fully developed or extended. For instance, the point about company profit is mentioned but lacks concrete evidence or a more thorough explanation. To improve, you must expand your supporting points with more detailed examples and analysis to meet the length requirement and demonstrate a more comprehensive exploration of the topic.
Coherence and Cohesion — Band 6.0
The essay is organized into logical paragraphs, each with a clear focus. You use basic cohesive devices such as 'Firstly', 'Secondly', 'However', and 'In conclusion' to signal the progression of your argument. However, the flow between sentences is sometimes mechanical, and the referencing is occasionally weak. For example, the transition 'Without any holiday or leave. If they are having an leave...' is grammatically fragmented and disrupts the logical flow. To improve, focus on using a wider variety of cohesive devices and ensure that your sentences are linked more fluidly to create a more cohesive whole.
Lexical Resource — Band 5.5
The vocabulary used is generally adequate for the task but remains quite basic and repetitive. You use common terms like 'rest', 'stress', and 'productive' effectively, but there is a lack of less common or more sophisticated vocabulary that would demonstrate a higher level of lexical control. Additionally, there are some word-choice errors, such as 'effect their profit' (should be 'affect') and 'having an leave' (should be 'having leave'). To achieve a higher band, try to incorporate more precise academic collocations and synonyms to express your ideas with greater nuance.
Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5
The essay contains a mix of simple and complex sentence structures, but there are frequent grammatical errors that occasionally impede the reader's understanding. Examples include subject-verb agreement issues ('many employees faces stress'), incorrect article usage ('an leave'), and punctuation errors, such as the comma splice in 'a company changes from a five day week to four day a week can find...'. While the meaning is generally clear, the frequency of these errors prevents the writing from reaching a higher band. Focus on proofreading for basic subject-verb agreement and article usage.
See this exact question answered at other band scores — the same prompt compared across bands.
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